Edsall Calls Maryland His 'Dream Job'

Randy Edsall has done the future before. This time, it was about his past.

The architect of the modern UConn football program, Edsall was introduced Monday as the 34th head coach at Maryland, calling the opportunity to work at the school a "dream job" that harkens back to the days of his youth when he, his father, Dick, and brother Duke would attend games at Byrd Stadium.

Halfway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., the Maryland campus is also 70 miles from Edsall's childhood home of Glen Rock, Pa. He painted vivid memories Monday of his first college game, sometime in the 1970s, when Maryland played Villanova.

"Once I got into the profession, most especially as I started coaching, this is a place I knew I would like to come to," Edsall said. "It pretty much [started] once I got my feet wet and [became] a full-time coach."

Edsall interviewed at Maryland all day Sunday, arriving directly from Phoenix, where the Huskies lost 48-20 to Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. He declined to tell his players or assistant coaches he was interviewing and many found out of his departure through calls from family, friends or former players.

"[ UConn linebacker Scott] Lutrus texted me and said, 'Coach, Jordan [Todman] told us in the locker room after the game that he was leaving. Why didn't you?' " Edsall said. "But then he said, 'I knew. You didn't have the job then.' "

Edsall did express some remorse for his handling of the situation Monday, and tears welled when he talked of leaving the players behind.

"I think you can tell that I care about people," he said. "I care about players. It's the relationships that you build with people, and I think sometimes people lose sight of that. But you know what? That's life and you have to deal with it."

Edsall replaces Ralph Friedgen, who was fired Dec. 20 after 10 years at the school and, most recently, being named the ACC coach of the year. Friedgen, a popular figure, led the Terrapins to seven bowl games.

Kevin Anderson, Maryland's new athletic director, wanted to go in his own direction with a hire, calling it a "strategic business decision." The only other coach interviewed by Anderson, President Wallace D. Loh and a private search committee was Mike Leach, the former Texas Tech coach known for his high-powered passing attack and his firing last year after allegedly mistreating a player.

"This was my decision, and this was my choice to be the next football coach," Anderson said, citing his days of tracking Edsall's coaching career since he was the athletic director at Army from 2004 through last year. "Randy has won at all levels. He built a program from scratch. But he is not just a football coach."

Though there is an agreement in place for Edsall to take over as the football coach, no contract has been signed. Part of the difficulty in doing so will be the total compensation: Edsall made $1.5 million this past season at UConn and Friedgen made about $2 million. Gary Williams, the Maryland men's basketball coach, makes just more than $2 million annually and is unlikely to be receptive to the idea of not being the highest-paid coach at the university.

Leach, the other finalist, interviewed at Maryland on Thursday, but never heard back from Anderson or the search committee. When asked if Edsall was Anderson's top choice to be coach, the athletic director dodged the question.

"There was no one, no one, who came forward and said, 'I want to be the head football coach at Maryland, and that's my dream job, but Randy Edsall,' " Anderson said.

Edsall promised to promote similar values to what he had at UConn while at Maryland. His goal, he said, is to win an ACC championship — soon, not later, knowing the players he has returning. He also wants to ensure high graduation rates. After the press conference was over, he chatted with junior running back Davin Meggett, one of a handful of players to attend, about the textbooks he carried with him in a shopping bag.

"I would have loved to have just one coaching staff, but this is a good thing for me," said sophomore offensive tackle R.J. Dill, who chose Maryland over UConn in 2007. "He affords you an opportunity to get to the next level, which is what this is about, and he wins. He just came back from Arizona, playing in the Fiesta Bowl, and he was where we want to be this time next year. For me, that's the exciting part."

Whether Edsall is able to duplicate Friedgen's success – or even his own – in Maryland is uncertain. But at 52, Edsall does know one thing about his future.

"I want this to be the last stop for what I do," Edsall said. "I'm in a situation where this is where I want to be, so let's finish it here."

"The University of Connecticut is proud of the success we have enjoyed in our football program, both academically and athletically, during Randy Edsall's tenure. Under his leadership, UConn made the quickest transition of any school which left the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision and then...

Randy Edsall met with the UConn football team in the locker room after the 48-20 Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma Saturday night, asking if anyone wanted to speak. The captains addressed the team, and running back Jordan Todman announced he was leaving the program to turn pro.

Here's how a UConn freshman football player, who asked not to be identified, described how some members of the team learned of Randy Edsall's decision to go to Maryland and, what the former UConn coach said to them - and how.